Chelsea Squander Chances as Ruthless Man City Crush Blues' FA Cup Final Dreams

Chelsea's bid to rescue what has been a chaotic 2025–26 campaign with a trophy came to nothing in the FA Cup final on Saturday, as they fell to a 1–0 defeat against Manchester City.

The Blues put in a disciplined and determined showing for large portions of the match, keeping City at bay until the 72nd minute, when Antoine Semenyo made the breakthrough—deflecting Erling Haaland's low cross into the net to seal the victory and snap City's recent streak of final losses, having been beaten in each of the two preceding years.

Calum McFarlane's team grew stronger as the game wore on, even edging City in both possession and shots after the interval, but they struggled to find a cutting edge in the attacking third and were unable to manufacture clear-cut opportunities.

While not an entirely poor showing, the loss laid bare many of Chelsea's recurring problems this season: an absence of leaders in crucial moments, minimal threat from wide positions, Cole Palmer—despite putting in a hard shift—unable to provide the match-winning spark that once made him one of the game's standout players, and Liam Delap squandering a glaring late chance from the bench.

The Problem That Won't Go Away

Chelsea's inability to generate a threat from wide areas has been their biggest weakness throughout the season, and while Calum McFarlane set his side up without natural width against City, one might have expected the problem to be less pronounced given the occasion.

It wasn't.

With Pedro Neto and Alejandro Garnacho both introduced late and making little impression, Marc Cucurella and Malo Gusto were handed the responsibility of providing creativity from the flanks. Both, Gusto in particular, worked relentlessly up and down the touchline, but their delivery in the final third left a lot to be desired.

Gusto managed just two accurate crosses while failing with six more, despite regularly finding himself in inviting positions, while Cucurella failed to register a single cross, frequently charging forward with energy but coming up short when it mattered most.

Fixing their problems out wide must be a priority heading into the transfer window this summer.

Chelsea Player Ratings vs. Manchester City (3-4-2-1)

*Ratings provided by FotMob*

GK: Robert Sánchez—7.0: Had relatively little to deal with until the closing stages, but produced a couple of clean saves when tested. Could do nothing about Semenyo's superb finish.

CB: Wesley Fofana—7.1: Led Chelsea's defensive contributions with eight. A composed and commanding display from start to finish.

CB: Levi Colwill—6.4: Chelsea looked noticeably more secure at the back with the calm Colwill in the lineup, owing to his ability to build from the back. His absence has been keenly felt this season.

CB: Jorrel Hato—6.6: Registered four defensive actions and pushed forward effectively, often overlapping Cucurella when the opportunity arose. Unfortunate that his interception fell to City in the lead-up to their goal.

RM: Malo Gusto—6.5: Covered every blade of grass on the right flank and largely kept Jérémy Doku quiet. However, his delivery in the attacking third needed to be sharper.

CM: Reece James—6.2: Largely anonymous throughout. The game seemed to pass him by and he was uncharacteristically sloppy in possession.

CM: Moisés Caicedo—6.4: Tidy on the ball, but unusually came off second best in physical duels in the centre of the pitch.

LM: Marc Cucurella—6.4: Threw himself into the game with his trademark intensity, but was caught out of position for Semenyo's goal and contributed very little going forward.

AM: Cole Palmer—6.6: Flashed moments of his best with some clever movement in tight spaces, but lacked a decisive final contribution, as has been the story too often in recent months. His off-the-ball work was commendable.

AM: Enzo Fernández—6.7: Perhaps fortunate to stay on the pitch after a reckless challenge on Bernardo Silva. Found it difficult to make an impact in the final third.

ST: João Pedro—5.7: A demanding role for the Brazilian operating as a lone striker, but he held the ball up admirably and made intelligent runs in behind to stretch City on the break, especially in the opening half.

SUB: Pedro Neto (74' for Cucurella)—6.3

SUB: Liam Delap (83' for James)—N/A

SUB: Alejandro Garnacho (86' for Pedro)—N/A

Subs not used: Filip Jörgensen (GK), Josh Acheampong, Tosin Adarabioyo, Trevoh Chalobah, Andrey Santos, Dário Essugo.

What These Ratings Tell Us

The Numbers That Explain Chelsea's Narrow Defeat